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Can’t get enough Taylor Swift? Thousands of fans line up bright and early to buy branded merchandise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

Taylor Swift doesn’t take the stage at Levi’s Stadium until Friday night, but you’d never know it from the thousand or so devoted Swifties lined up in the parking lot at the crack of dawn Thursday morning — just to buy official shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with their idol’s image or song lyrics — some you can only find in-person.Some hardy fans started arriving after midnight for the sale held from merchandise trucks and tents shortly after 10 a.m. Julie Sandoval, 18, arrived at the stadium around 4 a.m., and by 4:30 had formed a line with about 20 other people. .Sandoval, who came down from Burlingame with a few friends, said she had been waiting for months for the concert and the accompanying merchandise. She ended up getting a beige Taylor Swift Eras Tour shirt and two of the coveted blue crewnecks, one for her and one for a friend.Athena Fabiola, 29, drove two hours to get to Levi’s Stadium — and she came prepared. The W...

Ex-Mich. gubernatorial candidate pleads guilty in Jan. 6 case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

By Michael Kunzelman | Associated PressWASHINGTON — A former Republican candidate for Michigan governor pleaded guilty on Thursday to a misdemeanor charge for his participation in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.Ryan Kelley pleaded guilty more than a year after the ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump was arrested in the case, roiling the already messy gubernatorial Republican primary. Kelley, a real estate broker, finished fourth in a field of five Republican candidates.An email seeking comment was sent to Kelley’s attorney on Thursday. Kelley had previously decried the prosecution as a “witch hunt,” and after his arrest his campaign posted on Facebook the words “political prisoner.”His attorney, Gary Springstead, told The Detroit News last month that Kelley wants to “put this behind him so he can focus on his family and his successful career as a commercial real estate agent.”Kelley pleaded guilty to a charge of illegall...

Contra Costa County DUI driver sentenced after killing 2 teens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

(KRON) -- Friends of two teenagers who were killed by a DUI driver said they are dismayed after the driver received a "slap on the wrist" in court.Colby Sharver was 18 years old and drunk when he plowed his Subaru Impreza into a group of teenagers who had gathered for a house party, investigators said. The double fatal DUI crash happened in Knightsen in rural east Contra Costa County on Sept. 4, 2021. An 18-year-old Pittsburg woman, Kassandra Sepulveda, and 16-year-old Oakley boy, Luis Esparza, were killed. As part of a plea deal, Sharver pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and DUI causing bodily injury. A spokesman for the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office told KRON4, "The families of the victims were consulted and agreed to the terms."Sharver was sentenced to a six-year prison term, according to the DA's Office. He was in custody for 689 days awaiting trial, and he was granted 3.7 years of credit for time served. Sharver will also receive...

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Routinely Undercount Use-of-Force Incidents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

Two years after the murder of George Floyd ignited worldwide protests against police brutality, President Joe Biden ordered federal law enforcement agencies to update their policies on use of force. A new report, however, finds that the nation’s largest law enforcement agency ignored the spirit — if not the letter — of that order. The Department of Homeland Security has failed to accurately compile data on use-of-force incidents, according to a report issued Monday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, or GAO. “We found the data were not sufficiently reliable for the purposes of describing the number of times agency law enforcement officers used force,” the watchdog agency wrote. DHS updated its use-of-force policy in February to limit the use of no-knock entries, require more frequent training, and ban chokeholds unless deadly force is authorized. The changes brought DHS into compliance with Biden’s May 2022 executive order, which required federal law enforc...

Texas Roadhouse: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Texas Roadhouse Inc. (TXRH) on Thursday reported second-quarter profit of $82.3 million.On a per-share basis, the Louisville, Kentucky-based company said it had profit of $1.22.The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.21 per share.The restaurant chain posted revenue of $1.17 billion in the period, matching Street forecasts._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TXRH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/TXRHSource

Vanda: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — WASHINGTON (AP) — Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VNDA) on Thursday reported net income of $1.5 million in its second quarter.The Washington-based company said it had profit of 3 cents per share.The biopharmaceutical company posted revenue of $46.1 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on VNDA at https://www.zacks.com/ap/VNDASource

Federal Reserve keeps raising rates. That means it’s harder to get a car loan.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to raise its benchmark rate for the 11th time, by a quarter-point, could once again send ripple effects across the economy.Mortgage rates, which have surged since the Fed began lifting rates in March 2022, may now rise further. So could rates on credit cards and some business loans.Perhaps no one has felt the pain more than car buyers. It’s not just that sticker prices are way up. Or that lenders have tightened credit standards. On top of all that, steadily higher auto loan rates have elbowed many would-be buyers out of the market.Consider: A study by the New York Federal Reserve has found that 14% of applicants for auto loans were rejected over the past year — the highest such proportion since the New York Fed began tracking the figure in 2013 — up from 9% in February.Auto-loan applicants, of course, aren’t the only borrowers being turned down in larger numbers these days. In that same June 2022-June 2023 pe...

Casino mogul Steve Wynn to pay $10 million fine to end Nevada fight over claims of workplace sexual misconduct

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Casino mogul Steve Wynn to pay $10 million fine to end Nevada fight over claims of workplace sexual misconduct.Source

Grains lower,Livstock mixed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

Wheat for Sep. lost 7.25 cents at $7.1275 a bushel; Sep. corn fell 7 cents at $5.3325 a bushel, Sep. oats was off 1.50 cents at 4.2550 a bushel; while Aug. soybeans was down 14.25 cents at $15.32 a bushel.Beef was mixed and pork was lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Aug. live cattle was off .62 cent at $1.7805 a pound; Aug. feeder cattle rose .45 cent at $2.4465 a pound; while Aug. lean hogs was up .37 cent at $1.0202 a pound.Source

UNC QB Drake Maye has a good resource for advice. It’s his predecessor now in the NFL

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina star quarterback Drake Maye figures he has the perfect resource to help him navigate the challenges ahead in a season of high expectations.Speaking during the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason football media days, Maye said he has been in contact with current NFL quarterback Sam Howell as a sounding board.“Just trying to soak up all I can from him because he’s lived it and I want to be in the position he’s at,” Maye said.Maye is being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate and future pro passer for a team aiming to contend for an ACC title.Two years ago, Maye was a true freshman while Howell was in a similar position. That ended up being a bumpier-than-expected season for UNC, which started ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 but finished just 6-7.Maye said he asked Howell — now set to be the starter in Washington — what he would’ve liked to have done better in that final year. Howell suggested making sure to take care of non-f...